weddings
by Axletia Rosonetis
Summary: And so the runaway bride is stolen away. Oneshot.


_weddings_

All the movies made walking in wedding dresses look a lot easier than they actually were. Posing in a wedding dress all day was hard enough, but actually walking in one? And across town, no less? Next to impossible. Saya was never much of a complainer, however, and although her feet blistered from being in heels all day, she kept up with Tomoe and Ako as they trekked through the woods. It wasn't so different from keeping up with her own siblings.

Ako kept twisting back and forth to walk backwards, unable to contain her usual bubbly excitement. A hand over her mouth, she looked like a cute demon. "I still can't believe we stole the bride away, nee-chan!" she called out to Tomoe, smirking. Looking at Saya her eyes were wide and sparkling. "You're probably the most beautiful bride we've stolen, too, Saya nee-chan!"

Saya blushed. Tomoe kept walking, but Saya could hear the humor in her voice. "Don't tease her, Ako," Tomoe gently chided.

"Whaaat? But no one has better sisterly escapades than the two of us! Many girls would love to be stolen by us, ufufufu. And Kaoru nee-chan was such a worthy opponent, too. Heyhey, Saya nee-chan, who do you think the better prince is, nee-chan or Kaoru nee-chan?"

The blush spread across her cheeks. Tomoe and Kaoru were _both_ handsome girls, after all…

"A _koooo_ …"

A long, slender hand reached out and grabbed Ako's collar, pulling her forward. The girl raised her fists in the air, puffing her cheeks in response. "Nee- _chaaaan_!" she whined in the same tone. "You're no fuuuuuun…and are you smoking again? Ewwww…."

"Only in the woods. Fishing culture."

Saya's shoulders loosened as she chuckled, watching the two sisters continue to bicker with each other. The path became rougher and rougher where less humans travelled, and she had no choice but to slip off her heels in order to avoid any sprains. Her feet welcomed the soft texture of mud and grass, and the bottom of her dress started to get wet. She couldn't help but wince slightly at that. It was a free dress from modeling, but its cost had to have been so expensive. And even if its cost wasn't so expensive, she'd been raised to treat all gifts, regardless of price, as prized treasures. A white wedding dress could only be saved to such an extent.

Finally, she was met with a cool breeze as Tomoe tossed a few branches to the side. Ahead of them was only a long patch of grass and rocks, a small dock, and a calm stream. It felt like the most peaceful place on Earth. Ako was already halfway through undressing and getting ready to jump into the stream while Tomoe gently put their things on the down, throwing her finished cigarette in a plastic bag. "Littering's gross," she mumbled to herself. "Hey, Ako! Remember not to swim out too far!"

"Iiiiii won't~!"

Tossing her shirt in the air, the younger sister ran forward and executed a flawless dive, making a small splash behind her. Tomoe picked up the shirt and folded it, neatly setting it beside everything else. "She's always such a bundle of energy," she said, chuckling. "It's amazing how three drummers can have three totally different personalities. I hope you're having fun….are you sure you're gonna be okay with that dress?"

Saya looked up, brought back from her daydreaming. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I can clean it as long as it doesn't get too messy."

"Good. Sorry about dragging you away in your wedding best like this. Usually we don't bring anyone else along on our sisterly outings, but uh, you seemed a little exhausted after everything."

"Oh, did I? Y-Yeah, it was a pretty busy day. I didn't expect everyone to see me, either. I-I'm not much of a model, and…and it's pretty old-fashioned, but I'd only want to show off my real wedding dress to my spouse first. Kaoru-san played the part really well, though. She made me feel…secure. I hope I gave off a good impression as a bride."

"Sure you did. You're beautiful. You're gonna have a lot more admirers after this."

"Haha, thank you. It's funny. Usually I'm the one who's mothering, not the one mothered on. You're really good at comforting a girl, Udagawa-san."

"T-thanks. Hey, why don't we sit down? Your feet must be killing you."

Saya sat down and noticed Tomoe's sudden stiffness as the redhead brought out a fishing pole and a picnic basket. She was pleasantly surprised when she was handed half a hamburger and an onigiri. "Ako ate the other half," Tomoe explained. "We usually share our food. Hope it's all right."

"Y-yeah. Thank you for the food."

They sat in silence. Ako swam along the distant edges of the sunset, her silhouette outlined by shades of purple and orange. Saya chewed at her hamburger thoughtfully, watching Tomoe gracefully cast her fishing line out into the river. It didn't seem like she was fishing to actually catch any fish, but she looked so calm and cool that Saya felt at complete ease. Her feet and dress dangled in the water, her hair was a mess, and her brand-new heels were caked in mud and gunk. Somehow, it felt relieving.

Her relief fell short, however, as she felt her ankles sink into the cool water. Her dress was pulling her further and further to the edge. Inwardly panicking, she finished off her hamburger and tightly gripped to the dock. It was okay. Her strong, drummer hands could save her in a variety of situations. All she had to do was stay calm and not move any more than was possible. Be the calm, poised bride she dreamed of being…

The dock creaked as Tomoe backed up, finally catching something. Saya felt herself plunge into the water.

Wedding dresses were even harder to navigate wet than dry. So much heavier, for one thing. It was like something that was eating her alive from the inside-out. Saya was a good swimmer, but she wouldn't have been able to keep up with anything much stronger than this stream current. Even now, it was hard not to plunge further without a mysterious force supporting her. Was it a branch?

"Yamabuki-san! Yamabuki-san, are you all right?!"

Saya's head peeped out onto the water's surface, and blue eyes stared at a bright mop of red. Suddenly she became all-too aware of the lingering smell of smoke and Tomoe's hands around her waist, and her face felt boiling hot against the cool water. "Udagawa-san? I'm…I'm fine," she replied. "I'm fine. The water never hurt anybody. Quite refreshing, really."

"Oh, thank God." Tomoe sighed in relief. "I usually don't lose my nerve, but when I saw you fall I…panicked."

"It's okay, Udagawa-san. Really."

Before she could stop herself, her hand brushed against Tomoe's bangs, smoothing them against the sides of her face. Two pairs of blue eyes stared at each other, especially when Saya's hand lingered on Tomoe's cheek. The redhead's eyes widened. "Your fingers feel exactly like mine," she murmured.

Now they were both blushing. In the distance Ako, doing a backstroke towards them, called out, "Castaways, castaways! The robber stole away the bride~"

And their heads both ducked back underwater, Saya burying her face in Tomoe's shoulder. If they ever made it back on the ground, suddenly her wedding pool got a lot thinner…


End file.
